Erythropodium caribaeorum
Species of coral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erythropodium caribaeorum, commonly known as the encrusting gorgonian or encrusting polyps, is a species of soft coral in the monotypic family Erythropodiidae.[1] It was formerly placed in subfamily Erythropodiinae of family Anthothelidae.[2]
| Erythropodium caribaeorum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Erythropodium caribaeorum in the Aquarium de La Rochelle | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Scleralcyonacea |
| Family: | Erythropodiidae |
| Genus: | Erythropodium |
| Species: | E. caribaeorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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The species inhabits coral reefs and rocky bottoms in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida, growing at depths of 0.5 to 25 metres.[3]
E. caribaeorum is of interest from a drug discovery perspective because it produces eleutherobin, a diterpene glycoside with potential anticancer activity.[4]
